


sillage

by armless



Category: NCT (Band)
Genre: Comedy of Errors, Fluff, Jealousy, M/M, Misunderstandings
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-07-17
Updated: 2018-07-17
Packaged: 2019-06-28 15:48:37
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,784
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15710343
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/armless/pseuds/armless
Summary: Jaemin hugged Chenle tightly. "You're so awesome," he said, and Chenle thought, a little miserably, that he damn well better be, considering he was the only one who wasn't dating--or practically dating--a member of the cutest male pop group in the eastern hemisphere.





	sillage

He found out because of the cologne CF. It was gigantic, and sepia toned with dramatic shadows, and it hovered over every other luxury department store in the metropolitan Seoul area, and it might as well have said "Na Jaemin and Park Jisung are in love," Chenle reflected, when he saw it, finally. Donghyuck whistled, and slapped Jaemin's butt.

 "Oh quit it," Jaemin said, wiggling away from him. "It wasn't my fault."

On the billboard above Myongdong’s Shinsegae, Jaemin leaned back against a wall with his hands in his pockets, smiling softly and sweetly at Jisung, the top two buttons of his shirt undone and his left hand curled around Jisung’s tie. His eyes were almost closed, and his lashes were heavy with mascara. Jisung was being pulled into Jaemin’s embrace, his own eyes surrounded by smokey eyeshadow. He was looking at Jaemin like a basketful of baby corgis would die for each second that he looked away.

At breakfast, Jaemin said "pass the milk, please," to Jisung, and their fingers brushed as Jisung complied, and if Chenle hadn't already known they were dating, he would have known it then. He didn't say anything about it to the others, because it almost made it less real. Before the Mnet Countdown performance, when Jaemin screwed up the shuffle move that started at 2:42 of their new single, Jisung tackled him to the ground with his hands fisted in Jaemin’s shirt, and pretended to punch him. Because they were dating, and in love, Chenle thought.

Well, it was kind of nice, maybe, Jisung and Jaemin. They'd known each other since forever, and they were so close, and importantly they looked tall and pretty together, pretty enough to pimp Bottega Veneta cologne in half-buttoned shirts, when Chenle had been, "um," their manager had said.

 "Chubby and short," Chenle had grumbled, "You can say it."

 "You're not that chubby," Mark said, generously.

 Jisung and Jaemin wrote a love song together for the latest album, and even though it was all about some girl who was too good for them, they sat in the practice room for hours laughing and working on the lyrics and shoving each other, and when they did the rap part together Jaemin leaned back and looked up at Jisung on the line about how she was the most beautiful girl in the world, even without any makeup on.

 Chenle wished they'd say something, because he was happy for them, really, and he spent as little time in his and Jisung’s bedroom as possible, and finagled hotel rooming arrangements during tours so they had rooms next to each other most times, and started turning Jisung down when he invited him out to the arcade and noraebang, just every once in a while, so Jisung could be alone with Jaemin. They probably distracted each other with kisses during the other person’s turn at the bowling alley and teased each other fondly about their off-key singing and kissed even more in the privacy of the noraebang room, and that was good, because Jisung would be good for Jaemin, who tended to get really stressed about putting on a good idol face all the time, and Jaemin would be good for Jisung, who deserved someone who was kind and warm and a good cook like Jaemin.

 Those fuckers, Chenle thought miserably, and then deleted the NBA app off his phone, as self punishment.

- 

"You wanna, like." Jisung hesitated. "I got this new game."

"Naw, I got this test I'm studying for," Chenle said. Jisung looked uncomfortable. Probably, Chenle thought, he was worried about spending too much time with Jaemin and neglecting Chenle, which was sweet, but unnecessary.

 "Well, I just thought," Jisung said. "You and me could play a round or two."

 "Go play with Jaemin hyung," he said, and turned back to his Korean textbook before he could see Jisung turn away from him.

 Later, Jisung and Jaemin were giggling and rolling around on the couch together, Jisung yanking the controller from Jaemin and saying "Hyung, you're doing it totally _wrong_." Jaemin just laughed breathlessly as Jisung poked his sides, but Jisung kept his hand on Jaemin's rib for a few meaningful seconds too long, touch oddly tender.

 It was clearly pretty serious between them, and that made Chenle uncomfortable saying anything. He came into the living room one night and saw Jaemin curled up under Jisung's arm, asleep, while Jisung watched a movie with closed captions, and left more quietly than he knew he was capable of.

 "Why didn't you come back?" Jisung said later. "I was bored." 

"Yeah, well, I had some phone calls to make and stuff," Chenle muttered. 

-

"That's nice about Jaemin hyung and Jisung," Chenle said to Mark, forcing his mouth into a smile, because he'd been having particularly vivid thoughts lately about maybe telling Jaemin that the seafood feast he’d spent hours preparing for them last weekend gave Chenle food poisoning, or something, and he felt guilty about it.

 "Nice, yeah." Mark buttered both halves of his overpriced imported bagel carefully, then shook a crumbled handful of ketchup flavored chips over a bagel half. "Sorry, what's nice?"

 "Hyung. They're together," Chenle said. Mark could be oblivious, but this really took the cake. "Where have you been?"

 "No they're not," Mark said dismissively. He leaned back in his chair and began to eat.

 "Yeah, they are," Chenle said.

 "They're together?" Mark said, uncertainly now.

 "Yes."

 "And, um, you don't think that's a problem?"

 "No! No," Chenle said, hastily. "No, no. Of course not. Why would I? I don't have a problem at all."

 "But the group," Mark said, fingers nervously tracing the edge of the table.

 "You’ve got a point," Chenle said. "But I think it'll be okay. They're the closest, after all--"

 "--I thought you and Jisung were best friends--"

 "--the closest," Chenle said loudly, "and they kind of belong together, don't you think? All, like, pretty, and stuff. I mean, I think we all saw it coming."

 "I didn't see it coming," Mark said. "I only found out about it five minutes ago."

 "Inevitable," Chenle said, glumly. "I don't know what took them so long to--"

 "Okay then," Mark said, eating the rest of his bagel half in two gigantic bites and gulping down his cup of coffee. "I have a, NCT127 has, um," he stood up, tugging down his t-shirt. "I'll see you later."

 "Nobody wants to hang out with me," Chenle told his empty plate, sadly. Then he ate the other half of Mark's bagel.

-

 "Chenle," Jaemin said, "are you mad at Jisung?" He was folded up on the living room couch, watching Chenle carefully.

 "What? No, of course not, don’t be silly," Chenle said.

 "Okay, good," Jaemin smiled at him, with those pretty long eyelashes, and Chenle sighed, and said as gently as he could, "Jaemin hyung, of course I'm not mad."

 "I didn't think you were, but, you know, he's been kind of worried about it." Jaemin pulled his ankles under his knees, and angled his head so that Chenle got the full effect of his fucking Bambi eyelashes.

 "Oh, Jaemin hyung." Chenle leaned over and patted Jaemin's shoulder. "I'm not--I'm sorry. I'm not mad at you guys."

 A small line appeared between Jaemin’s perfectly groomed eyebrows. "Um."

 "I'm having a personal thing," Chenle mumbled, and slid lower in the couch, squeezing his eyes shut.

 "Do you want to talk about it?" Jaemin asked. Chenle risked a glance at him, and Jaemin had tilted his head to the side, birdlike, and folded his hands.

 "No, thank you. Sorry, hyung." Chenle got up and went to the kitchen and tried to fix himself a fried egg, although what he ended up with was a black carbonated mass and a burn on his hand from the frying pan. He didn't say anything about it. Looking at the pink welt, later, he thought he probably deserved it.

-

"Hi," Jisung said, and Chenle sighed, and resisted the impulse to close his eyes. Years of looking at Jisung on a daily basis, you'd think he'd be used to it by now, Chenle thought, but this was the fourth time this week that Jisung had worn jeans--a present from Jaemin, big surprise--that made him look a zillion feet tall, and his comeback hairstyle kept flopping appealingly over his eyes. Chenle poked himself in the eye with his forefinger, to stop himself from checking his best friend--and one of his groupmate's boyfriend--out. Again.

 "Are you okay?" Jisung said.

 "Just fine," Chenle said. "Great, in fact. How's Jaemin?" 

 "He's fine," Jisung said. "Listen, Chenle."

 "You guys go to the, uh, movie, or whatever, yesterday?"

 "Yeah, yeah," Jisung said. "So, hey," he pursed his lips, and smiled, and slid a little closer on the couch. Chenle slid hastily backwards. Jisung's skin looked dangerously soft.

 "Um," Chenle said.

 "What’s wrong? Is something in your eye?" Jisung said.

 "Yes," Chenle said, "No," he added, when Jisung leaned over him, making his neck look really long and kind of swanlike, the round collar of his shirt gapping and revealing smooth collarbones.

 "Let me see," Jisung said, putting one big hand on Chenle’s knee and reaching up to cup his face with the other.

 "Jisung," Chenle said, a little frantically, and tried to lean away, but he had slid himself all the way up against the couch arm, and all he could do was bend oddly at the waist.

 "Will you stop moving," Jisung said.

"Fine," Chenle said bitterly, defeated, and let Jisung tip his face into the light, and stroke gentle, concerned fingers over his cheek.

"It's red," Jisung said, after an unnecessarily long moment, "but I don't see anything. Does it still hurt?"

"No," Chenle said, relieved, "no, you fixed it. Thanks, it's great. Thanks."

"Anytime," Jisung said. He was still absently touching Chenle's face. "You’ve lost face weight," he said.

 "Yeah, well," Chenle said, trying to think of something to say. Jisung's thumb was gentle at the corner of his mouth. "You can stop touching me now," he said, swallowing, and Jisung sat back, looking like a kicked puppy.

"Just trying to help," he said softly, after a moment.

"Well, thanks," Chenle said. "Oh hey, look, it's Jaemin hyung."

"Right," Jisung said, "So, do you want to--"

"Jaemin hyung," Chenle said, "looks amazing today. Nice pants," he said, when Jaemin came into earshot, and Jaemin preened a little, holding his arms out from his body and twisting his hips, until Chenle said, "all right, we get it, you're too gorgeous."

 "Chenle," Jisung said, leaning forward, and Chenle said, "Right, you should go, then." 

 Jisung slumped next to him, oddly silent, and then he laughed, kind of, and let himself be pulled up and off the couch, trailing off after Jaemin, leaning down to whisper in his ear. 

 Jaemin looked up, and then leaned his neck into Jisung's shoulder, one arm sliding around his waist. Jisung waved at Chenle, flashed him a quick smile, and then leaned back over Jaemin, his eyes bright and warm. Chenle bit the inside of his cheek, and then spent a good twenty minutes thinking about the idyllic first year of NCT Dream, when he never had an especially strong desire to kiss any of his group members, and, as an added bonus, Jisung's hair had looked stupid once in a while.

-

 "Me and Mark are together, or something, I guess," Donghyuck said.

 "God, _finally_ ," Renjun and Jeno shouted in unison. Then they looked at each other and blushed a little. Disgusting.

 "Great," Chenle said, sourly.

 "You don't have to be a little bitch about it," Donghyuck said.

 "I'm not being a bitch," Chenle said. "I'm happy for you, Donghyuck hyung. I'm gonna buy you a Sephora aisle or two to express my joy."

 "I'm so glad you guys decided not to wait because of the group anymore." Jaemin said, beaming fondly. He patted Mark's hand. 

"Well, Chenle said, you know." Mark shrugged, and then grinned, a wide sharp unhindered grin that looked nothing like the slightly dopey smile they all knew so well. Donghyuck had a softly bruised bite mark directly below his ear. 

Jaemin hugged Chenle tightly. "You're so awesome," he said, and Chenle thought, a little miserably, that he damn well better be, considering he was the only one who wasn't dating--or practically dating--a member of the cutest male pop group in the eastern hemisphere.

 -

"That's cool, and stuff, that Donghyuck and Mark are together," Jisung said, settling himself down on the couch with a bag of chips clasped in his hand.

 "Sure," Chenle said.

 "it's just better, I think," Jisung said, "with someone who you’ve known for a long time, and already knows you really well, to--"

 "Right, right," Chenle said briskly, pretending to be fervently interested in his Korean grammar book.

 "Don't you think?" Jisung said, his voice climbing a little anxiously.

 "Oh, definitely," Chenle said.

"Want some chips?" Jisung asked, leaning forward. “I ate too much at lunch.”

"No, that's okay," Chenle said.

"They're cute together, don’t you think," Jisung said.

"Who?"

 "Mark and Donghyuck."

 "Yeah."

 "Yeah," Jisung said, a little wistfully.

 "Actually I'll take the rest of the bag, if you don't want it," Chenle said, finally, and Jisung handed the bag of chips to him, wordlessly.

 "So, Jaemin," Chenle said, after a moment, and then inhaled an oversized mouthful of chips, already regretting bringing it up.

"Hm?" Jisung said. 

“Mmphm,” Chenle said, swallowing. "Nothing," Chenle said, quickly.

-

When Jisung had first started going out with Yeojin, Chenle had had to listen to Jisung worry over their relationship in nauseating detail. It wasn't something he cared to relive with Jaemin, but Jisung didn't say anything about Jaemin. Chenle figured it was ultra secret and special, and maybe they'd decided to keep it just for them, especially Jaemin, who liked to conduct his romances in a shroud of secrecy, disappearing off to girlfriends’ and boyfriends' dorms for weekends, and then claiming that he'd been out watching movies with his grandma. Chenle had caught him in it already any number of times with Jisung: Jaemin always insisted that he'd been grocery shopping or playing badminton with some kids from JYP, and never making out with Jisung, which Chenle knew damn well he was doing.

"My friends are avoiding me," Chenle announced to himself, in the bathroom mirror.

They had a solid three weeks between end of promos and prep for the next cycle, which was mostly awesome, because Chenle didn’t have to avoid his own bedroom anymore, and his parents had flown back to Shanghai to corner some stock markets or merge some subsidiaries or whatever it was they did. Unfortunately Chenle couldn’t avoid Jisung without avoiding the rest of them too, so Chenle spent the first ten days of their break sleeping nine hours a night, watching dramas in a bathrobe, or a worn faded pyjama shirt and no pants, taking long showers, and playing basketball by himself in his apartment complex’s indoor gym. He avoided his phone, and told everyone that his phone had fallen into the toilet.

"All five of them?” Renjun asked, when Chenle was forced to drop by the company building, to film a vlive evidencing that he was still alive.

“Yes,” Chenle said.

“And you’re not planning on buying a new one, because.”

“I’m waiting for the new iPhone to come out,” Chenle said. “Seems wasteful to get another one in the meantime.”

"That’s not for five months,” Renjun said, “and you’re being extremely weird. Weirder than usual.”

"You guys are the weird ones," Chenle said sulkily. "I'm the only normal one, who isn’t dating another member of the group."

Renjun didn’t deny it, just turned pink, which like, holy shit. Chenle was feeling tragically single just about now.

Everyone left him mercifully alone for four days, with only six voicemails from Jisung, and one or two each from the others. It was a peaceful time, Chenle thought, sprawled out on his king-size bed with a superhero movie playing in the background. He wiggled his toes and wondered what Yeojin was up to. He hadn’t known her that well, but she'd always kind of liked him.

"Chenle oppa," she said, her voice soft and clear on the other end of the line. "you seem like an awesome guy, but we really can't talk about Jisung."

"You're not over him?"

"I'm over him," she snapped. "I'm mostly over him. Pretty much. You know how it is. I kind of wish his episode on that dance program hadn't gotten such high ratings. Is that bad?"

"No," Chenle said emphatically. It was really too bad he was probably not cute enough for her, because he kind of liked her style, and also the dating the ex of your best friend and current crush thing, which he suspected was weird on a few different levels.

"I like your style," he said.

"Is Jisung seeing anyone?" she asked.

"No," Chenle said.

"I don't suppose he's got, like, a weird skin disease where his neck is all flaking off and nasty?" she said hopefully.

"Oh yes," Chenle said, "Definitely. And Jaemin hyung's got toe fungus."

"Hey," Yeojin said. "I like Jaemin oppa a lot, even if I don’t know him too well."

 "I do too," Chenle said.

 "Jaemin oppa is super nice," Yeojin said. "Even when he doesn't have to be. And considerate. And thoughtful."

 "He loves animals, and buys people little gifts all the time," Chenle said guiltily. "And he makes the best seafood stew I’ve ever tasted."

-

On the seventh day, Chenle was routed from the fifteenth hour of his drama marathon by the insistent ring of the doorbell. He sunk down deeper into his couch and wrapped his bathrobe tighter around himself; it was probably Renjun, who would burst in all on his own, after a while, having somehow secretly duplicated Chenle’s key, and this was a very exciting episode. The protagonist was just about to find out her mysterious stranger was actually her long lost childhood friend.

The doorbell rang again, and then again, and Chenle sighed, and got up. He slunk slowly through the apartment, and peered through the peephole. 

It was Jisung.

Chenle rested his head against the door and waited for what seemed like a long time, the shocked gasp of the heroine echoing tinnily down the hallway, during which Jisung rang the doorbell twice more. He opened the door on the third ring.

"Um, hi," Jisung said. He was clutching a duffle bag and shifting a little nervously. “My family’s apartment’s got a plumbing issue, and my aunt’s only got one spare room, so.”

"Hi," Chenle said. He put his hands in the pockets of his bathrobe. "Jaemin hyung could probably house you."

Jisung rolled his eyes slightly, affectionately. "I love Jaemin hyung, but I need a break," he said. 

"Right," Chenle said, swallowing, and resisting the impulse to slam the door in Jisung's face. Jaemin was probably trying to teach Jisung how to cook rice so that it didn’t come out half raw and half burnt, or only letting him watch dance videos for three hours a day, so he wouldn't become a stunted individual, or some other sweet, adorable annoyance. 

"Can I come in?"

"Whatever," Chenle said, and stepped back.

"What is your problem?" Jisung said, following Chenle inside. "I just need to stay here for a night, and you're acting like I have leprosy or something."

"I'm not acting like anything," Chenle said, and something about the soft shape of Jisung's mouth made his stomach ache, so he turned and stalked back through the door into his kitchen.

"Chenle," Jisung said sharply. "Seriously." He appeared in the doorway of the living room. "What’s going on." 

"Sorry," Chenle said. He stared at the television screen for a moment. "Sorry, I've been an asshole."

"That’s okay," Jisung said. He shrugged uncomfortably, and put down his duffle bag. "Can I stay here, then?" 

"Do whatever you want," Chenle said stiffly. 

" _What_ is your problem?" Jisung said. "You act like, I don’t know, did I do something to piss you off?"  

"No."

Jisung laughed, his mouth twisting wryly. "Why don't you just tell me what it is," he said calmly, raising his voice over the television. "I didn't mean to do it, whatever it was, you know that, and you haven't talked to me since that time we all saw--”

"Look," Chenle said, "I'm kind of busy, okay?"

There was a long silence, while Jisung took a deep breath, obviously counting silently to ten.

"Busy doing what?" he said, when he was finished, and his voice was suddenly sharp and dark. "Because it looks to me like you're busy lying on the couch and eating prawn crackers and watching--" 

"I'm  _ busy _ ," Chenle said, turning off his gigantic television with a harsh flick of the remote, "so why don't you go apologize to Jaemin hyung and have a nice make-up makeout session and stop wasting my time."

Jisung blinked, rapidly. Chenle bit his lip.

"What?" Jisung said.

"You heard me. Go find your beautiful boyfriend and let the rest of us get something done around here." 

"Jaemin hyung and me, we're not. Um."

"Jisung, you don't have to lie," Chenle said, gently. "I'm cool with it. I just wish you’d told me first, you know?"

"No. Chenle, we're not whatever you think we are." He took a few quick steps forward, and then one back, twisting one massive hand nervously behind his back. “I wasn't sure if I could tell anyone, but him and Jeno hyung and Renjun--”

"Don't fucking lie to me, man, what the hell."

"Chenle."

"It's fine with me if you want to fall in love with Jaemin hyung," Chenle said, standing, "but don't bullshit me about it."

"No," Jisung said. He pushed Chenle and Chenle overbalanced and fell back into the couch and Jisung fell to his knees, "you should listen to me," he put his hands on the lapels of Chenle' bathrobe and pulled him forward, murmuring "no," into Chenle' mouth before kissing him, pressing him against the back of the couch. He held Chenle tightly, one hand fisted in his bathrobe, but his mouth was gentle, just a peck really, and his body shook lightly, and slowly, Chenle brought one hand up to Jisung's quivering shoulder, where his skin was hot beneath his t-shirt.

"Not with Jaemin hyung, then," Chenle said, mouth brushing his.

"No," Jisung said emphatically.

“I’m kind of a dumbass,” Chenle admitted.

"You kind of are," Jisung said, and laughed, and kissed Chenle’s neck softly.

"Jerk."

"Moron."

“Asshole,” Chenle said fondly, "come here."

 


End file.
